Larry+Holmes Entries

Entries tagged with "Larry+Holmes":

Larry Holmes vs. Alfredo Evangelista – November 9th, 2020
On November 10, 1978 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, WBC heavyweight champion Larry Holmes, from Easton, Pennsylvania, defended his newly won title for the first time against Alfredo Evangelista, from Montevideo, Uruguay. Holmes won the title five months earlier over Ken Norton by disputed split…
Larry Holmes vs. Bonecrusher Smith – November 8th, 2020
On November 9, 1984 at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, IBF heavyweight champion Larry Holmes, from Easton, Pennsylvania by way of Cuthbert, Georgia, defended his title against James "Bonecrusher" Smith, from Magnolia, North Carolina. The Easton Assassin was undefeated at 42-0. Bonecrusher…
Larry Holmes vs. Michael Spinks – September 20th, 2020
On September 21, 1985 at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, Larry Holmes, aka the Easton Assassin, defended his IBF heavyweight title against light heavyweight champion Michael Spinks. It was the 27-0 Spinks' first fight at heavyweight. Holmes was 48-0 and on the cusp of tying Rocky Marciano's…
Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney – June 10th, 2020
On June 11, 1982 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, longtime WBC heavyweight champion Larry Holmes, from Easton, Pennsylvania by way of Cuthbert, Georgia, defended his title against "Gentleman" Gerry Cooney. Both fighters were undefeated at the time. Holmes was 36-0. Cooney was 25-0. And the fight,…
Larry Holmes vs. Trevor Berbick – April 10th, 2020
On April 11, 1981 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, WBC heavyweight champion Larry Holmes, from Easton, Pennsylvania by way of Cuthbert, Georgia, defended his title against Trevor Berbick, from Port Antonio, Jamaica. Holmes was undefeated at 36-0 coming in. Berbick was 18-1. The fight was scheduled…
Yup, that Oliver McCall – September 8th, 2019
Don King reportedly dragged him out of a crack house to fight Lennox Lewis a second time, and McCall behaved accordingly…
Evan “Yung” Holyfield: The Time Is Now – July 23rd, 2019
On Wednesday, July 24, at the Fighter Nation Boxing Gym in Houston, Texas, he will formally announce his plans to turn professional as a junior middleweight…
Mike Tyson Uncaged (1986) – July 10th, 2019
The documentary "Mike Tyson Uncaged" dates from 1986, the year he became the youngest man in boxing history, at age 20, to win the heavyweight crown. No one knew at the time what was to come; it looked like he might he remain champion forever. But as unknown as his topsy-turvy future would turn out to…
Naked Sport: Welcome to the Sewer (PBS) – July 8th, 2019
Produced by PBS in 1992, this documentary explores the darker side of our admittedly dark sport. It follows the career of a young Shannon Briggs and includes interviews with Evander Holyfield, Larry Holmes, Teddy Atlas, Dan Duva, Kathy Duva, Lou Duva, Bobby Czyz, Bob Arum, and Mike Marley. Even Muhammad…
Boxing by the Book: “Gentleman Gerry” – June 24th, 2019
“Hey, man—pain is universal,” Cooney said as he balled a fist to contain his own emotions. “We all feel it, no matter who we are and where we come from…”
Ken Norton vs. Larry Holmes – June 3rd, 2019
Complaining about the current state of the heavyweight division is like beating a dead horse. It may be satisfying on some level, but that old gray mare ain't what she used to be. Larry Holmes fought Ken Norton at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for the WBC heavyweight title on June 9, 1978. Holmes had beaten…
Don King: Only in America – May 2nd, 2019
When HBO first broadcast Don King: Only in America in 1997, Don King was not pleased. A serio-comic dramatization of the life of the wild-haired promoter based on the book of the same name by thorn-in-the-side Jack Newfield, the film starred Ving Rhames as King, Vondie Curtis-Hall as Lloyd Price,…
Boxing’s Baddest Man – April 23rd, 2019
He went to work as a hired gun for Murder Incorporated, taking his orders Louis (Lepke) Buchalter, the only mob leader to be executed in the electric chair…
Driving the Bus – January 1st, 2019
“No-one owns life, but anyone who can pick up a frying pan owns death.” So they say. And those people are right…
Braddock Statue Unveiled – September 27th, 2018
Known as the “Bulldog of Bergen,” Braddock defeated Max Baer in 1935 and was rechristened the “Cinderella Man” …
Canelo vs. GGG: “And the winner is…Father Time” – September 17th, 2018
When boxers hit their mid-30s it is usually time to hang up the gloves, check your bank account and maybe open a restaurant…
Henry Tillman: “All fights was tough” – April 17th, 2018
“Boxing is not a sport actually, for the actual boxer, it's a lifestyle. You have to live it, live it, eat it, drink it, sleep it…”
Ranking the best boxing US states – January 27th, 2018
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is one of the standout boxers from a state which includes Stanley Ketchel, Kid Lavigne, Ad Wolgast and James Toney…
Rocky Marciano: A Crown of Gold – November 3rd, 2017
Rocky Marciano last fought on September 21, 1955, his sixth title defense, knocking out Archie Moore, "The most unappreciated fighter in the world…”
Conrad Tooker: Out of the Graveyard – September 14th, 2017
“I used Conrad for speed,” said Wepner, who challenged Muhammad Ali for the heavyweight title in 1975. “He was tough, durable and quick…”
Larry Holmes on Mayweather-McGregor – August 24th, 2017
Holmes, whose 1985 fight against Randall “Tex” Cobb is a model of what a mismatch can be, isn’t so quick to write-off McGregor...
My Most Vivid Memory of the Original Bobby Gleason’s Boxing Gym (Part 1 of 4) – August 10th, 2017
I’ll miss boxing because the ring was the birthplace of my confidence; the launching pad of my identity. With boxing gloves I never stuttered…
Tyson vs. Spinks—Did He Even Want to Get Back Up? – June 16th, 2017
Less than a minute passed before Michael Spinks was sent to the canvas, to one knee to be precise for the first time in his career…
What Ever Happened To Mills Lane? – June 10th, 2017
He wound up the All-Far East welterweight champion. Later, while in college he became a NCAA boxing champion. He then turned pro…
Outside the Ring: Larry Holmes – February 4th, 2017
“I proved people wrong who said I couldn't do something—like becoming the boxing champion of the world…”
The Big Man – January 3rd, 2017
By the 1950s, when I met Abe Simon, he was suffering from severe arthritis that made walking painful. Back in the 1930s, however, he seemed indestructible…
Ali and The RING: Better Late Than Never? – December 8th, 2016
For some, “better late than never” are the catchwords of the day. For others, the question “what’s the point?” seems more relevant…
Street Fight – October 25th, 2016
Street fights, for all their sloppiness and ugliness, are more fascinating than professional fights where rules are imposed on the heart of darkness…
Cooney On Norton: “No Matter Who I Fought That Night, I Was Going To Win.” – September 16th, 2016
Norton clearly had the pedigree and Cooney the momentum as the up-and-coming contender on the rise. This match was set up as the ultimate crossroads battle…
Joe and Marvis Frazier: A Package Deal – August 9th, 2016
Marvis’ recollection of Ali-Frazier history contradicts actual events at least in part, as Joe publicly criticized Ali in the 1990’s…
The Man Who Fought Liston and Cassius Clay—Four Times! – July 28th, 2016
Billy Joiner, a journeyman heavyweight in the 1960s, has a few fascinating tales to tell. Let him tell you in his own words…
Ten-Count for Macka Foley – July 13th, 2016
“I should have died in Vietnam, I should have been killed by the mob, I should have been killed by Shavers. Something always pulled me out of danger…”
‘Gentlemen’ Gerry Cooney: “I'm A Lucky Man” – June 28th, 2016
"I wanted the fight against Weaver. It didn't work out. I would have liked to have had a couple more fights before Holmes..."
For the best? Impact of biggest changes in boxing over time – June 20th, 2016
The change from 15 rounds to 12 rounds has not harmed the sport. It has improved fighter safety which should always be a priority…
Larry Holmes vs. Mike Tyson—Who Would Win in their Primes? – June 13th, 2016
“Tyson was never a straight target. He was always weaving and ducking. Larry was a straight up fighter. He was easier to hit than Tyson…”
Cassius Clay and Muhammad Ali: From Anger to Peace – June 11th, 2016
Ali was laid to rest in his native Louisville, Kentucky. His pallbearers included Mike Tyson, Lennox Louis, George Foreman and Larry Holmes…
The magnificent Katherine Dunn – May 15th, 2016
I spoke to Ms. Dunn once on the phone many years ago and we exchanged emails after my review of her book came out…
Joe Frazier’s Gym – April 25th, 2016
Today there is finally talk of getting rid of the discount furniture store and turning the building back into Joe Frazier’s Gym…
Philadelphia’s Own Jimmy Binns – March 8th, 2016
“I met Stallone when I was boxing commissioner. I met him at Bookbinder’s. He was making a new movie and asked me to be in it…”
Joe Frazier: Truly Alive at 205 – February 24th, 2016
Frazier is the guy who plays havoc with the minds of traditionalists and revisionists alike whenever they shuffle their all-time rankings…
Holmes-Norton: "The Legend of Larry Holmes" – February 21st, 2016
"This was my chance. If I didn't take the fight, who knows what would have happened. I didn't want to miss my shot…"
Larry Holmes Reads the Tea Leaves – February 4th, 2016
In defiance of here today, gone tomorrow, Floyd “Money” Mayweather continues to spend as if it’s going out of style…
Larry Holmes: “One of the Greatest” – January 29th, 2016
"I dropped out of school in the seventh grade. Teachers told me if you don't quit we're going to throw you out…"
The Ring Names Fury Fighter of the Year – January 11th, 2016
Despite the time devoted to making the right year-end selections, the awards usually end up validating the consensus choice…
The Seductive Id of Boxing? – December 28th, 2015
Norman Mailer once called the rarest athlete in sports “The Big Toe of God.” Certainly a lofty honorific — sublime and sacred…
Exposed – December 1st, 2015
It wasn’t age. It wasn’t a bad night. It was Wladimir Klitschko being Wladimir Klitschko. That’s who he is. That’s who he’ll always be…
Candy Slim: The Curious Mystique of Jeff Merritt – November 29th, 2015
Merritt was one of those scary monsters of the game, one of that select group of fearsome and near mythical men who never stop intriguing us…
Klitschko / Fury: Skill and Power vs. Zig-Zags and The Almighty – November 23rd, 2015
Klitschko is a fine architect, calmly deconstructing faces, subtly carving through the resolve of the man opposite…
“If Tattoos Could Talk” – November 15th, 2015
Tattoos are, simply, trendy. Since the 1990s, more and more fighters have sought their identity, or toughness, in a tattoo, but it’s their vulnerability I see...
Shannon Briggs: The Pest – September 3rd, 2015
This Saturday at the Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida, Shannon Briggs meets inactive and unheralded Michael Marrone…